Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

WWDTM: Anna Kendrick, Jeff Gordon, and more!

October 18, 2025

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  • The episode of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! titled "WWDTM: Anna Kendrick, Jeff Gordon, and more!" is a compilation of previously aired segments because the hosts were unexpectedly delayed in Hawaii. 
  • NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon discussed the origins of his racing career, starting at age five in a quarter midget, and the difficulty of watching others race now that he is retired. 
  • The episode featured interviews with Anna Kendrick, who discussed her directorial debut 'Woman of the Hour' and her history as a theater kid in Portland, Maine, and Iowa women's basketball coach Jan Jensen, who shared details about her grandmother's early women's basketball career. 

Segments

Introduction and Hawaii Delay
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(00:00:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The current broadcast of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is a pre-recorded review of past moments due to the hosts being stuck in Hawaii.
  • Summary: The show opened from the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, but host Peter Sagal explained they were delayed in Hawaii after their previous show. This episode was prepared just in case they could not return in time, featuring highlights from earlier in the year.
Interview with Jeff Gordon
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(00:01:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Jeff Gordon began racing quarter midgets at age five after his stepfather acquired one as payment for mechanical work.
  • Summary: Jeff Gordon shared that he started racing BMX bikes at four and a half before moving to quarter midgets, which are safer than go-karts with roll cages. He admitted that during races with large leads, he sometimes noticed and commented on events in the grandstands over the team radio, which is broadcast publicly.
Jeff Gordon Game: Leave the Driving
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(00:08:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Jeff Gordon correctly answered two out of three trivia questions about passengers to win a prize for a listener.
  • Summary: Gordon played ‘Leave the Driving to Us,’ answering questions about a UK taxi driver blaming speeding on passengers’ flatulence (correct) and a pilot congratulating fans for drinking all the plane’s alcohol (correct). He missed the question about a slow roller coaster in Japan.
Interview with Anna Kendrick
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(00:12:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Anna Kendrick has a long history performing at Portland, Maine’s Merrill Auditorium, including a dance recital in lion face paint and singing at the Nutcracker.
  • Summary: Kendrick recounted several past performances at the venue, leading to a moment where Paula Poundstone realized she recognized Kendrick from those events. Kendrick also discussed her directorial debut, ‘Woman of the Hour,’ a true story about a woman matched with a serial killer on ‘The Dating Game’ in the 1970s.
Anna Kendrick Game: Pitch Perfect, Meet Female Dog Perfect
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(00:26:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Anna Kendrick correctly identified that a 2019 Spanish dog show ended when police dogs busted three students for drug possession.
  • Summary: Kendrick played a game about dog shows, missing the first question about an elaborate 2014 Savannah Dog Show winner’s name. She correctly guessed that a Boston Terrier stopped its agility run to check on its fallen trainer, and then correctly answered the final question about the Spanish dog show incident.
Panel Game: Don’t Bring Your Kid to Work
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(00:15:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The true story among three panelist tales involved a German soccer referee being bitten in the testicle by a player’s young son during warm-ups.
  • Summary: Panelists offered stories about children causing workplace chaos: a 12-year-old hearing confessions at a Catholic church, a child biting a referee, and a docent’s daughter replacing museum placards with honest reviews. The audience correctly identified the German soccer referee incident as the true story.
Panel Game: Medical Bills
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(00:35:55)
  • Key Takeaway: A Massachusetts woman received a $56,000 hospital bill after being injured while attempting to help a raccoon cross the street.
  • Summary: The panelists guessed the causes for large medical bills, including a bat flying into a woman’s mouth and a man getting sick from a mouse in a Coke bottle. The true story involved a hiker receiving a $153,000 bill after a rattlesnake selfie attempt, and the Massachusetts woman’s raccoon rescue.
Interview with Jan Jensen
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(00:39:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen’s grandmother was the MVP of the 1921 state tournament, playing six-on-six basketball in bloomers.
  • Summary: Coach Jensen shared that Iowa is a birthplace of women’s basketball, noting her grandmother’s early success, who later critiqued modern play as too physical and revealing. Jensen also described coaching Caitlin Clark as managing a passionate, feisty player who challenges coaches.
Jan Jensen Game: Let’s Go a Courting
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(00:45:13)
  • Key Takeaway: In medieval Ukraine, a rejected suitor was publicly shamed by being given a pumpkin to carry home.
  • Summary: Coach Jensen achieved a perfect score in the game about global courting rituals. She correctly identified that Puritan couples used a speaking tube for privacy and that rejected suitors in medieval Ukraine received a ‘pumpkin of shame’ after a proposal was turned down.